The Coho Grille Worth Going Out Of Your Way

No doubt about it -- the Luncher and his three companions liked The Coho Grille.

The restaurant is open and airy. The atmosphere suggests affluence, yet the prices are not out of line. The food is top quality. The portions are generous to a fault.

``The place is brand new, geared to the successful -- and it looks it,`` said one of our group.

``I liked the look of it,`` she continued. ``The soaring industrial-arts ceiling, the green and pink art deco walls, the spaciousness of it.``

``I liked both the sweet potato bread with pecans and the whole wheat,`` said one of our group. ``It gave us plenty to nibble on along with our drinks while we waited (to order).

``Oh, the bread!`` said a companion. ``It was some of the best I`ve ever been served in a restaurant. I could have dined on just that.``

One of our group began by ordering tapas (the Spanish word for appetizer), a house specialty.

Of the more than a dozen to choose from, he decided on mushrooms and morrels, served cold in an oil-vinegar dressing, for $2.

``They could have been colder,`` a companion said of the mushrooms. ``But they were good. I really liked the marinade.``

Afterward, the member of our group who ordered the tapas selected the broiled grouper for $6.50.

``Delicious,`` he said, although it was slightly burned ``from having sat on the grill about a minute too long.``

Feeling daring, one luncher ordered pizza with mushroom and pepperoni, topped with fontina and Parmesan cheese, for $6.75.

``Very good,`` the luncher said. ``The crust was soft and so thin, the melted cheese was soaking through.``

A companion, meanwhile, struggled with half a roast chicken for $6.50.

``The portion was enormous,`` she said, but good -- especially the consomme.

Another companion had the cappellini primavera (angel-hair pasta with vegetables) for $7.50.

She, too, said the portions were ``generous.`` The meal was cooked ``just right`` and served in a ``very mild`` butter sauce.

Even the coffee won praise.

``I`m always impressed if a waitress doesn`t flinch when I order iced coffee. This was very good,`` one of our group said. ``I could really taste the Vienna roast, which gave it a slightly chocolate flavor.``

``Terrific,`` another added. ``It tasted fresh ground -- and it was strong, the way I like good coffee.``

The desserts looked ``scrumptious,`` she said. We agreed. But we were too full to think about it.

Before she brought the check, our waitress treated us to another house specialty -- bingo.

She asked one of our group to pick a number. The Luncher chose 37. She fished a small wooden chip out of a glass jar. It was 52.

If the numbers had matched, our lunch would have been on the house.

Actually, we weren`t far off. The bill came to $37.32.

The only wrinkle in an otherwise flawlessly smooth experience was the service, we agreed.

``It lacked a certain patience and graciousness you`d expect from that kind of a restaurant,`` the luncher said.